Sunday, September 7, 2008

French photographer JR has launched nearly five urban photography exhibits recently in five different countries. Each exhibit has had one thing in common: the local people, often those without a public identity, are given a face to match their environment.

The most notable recent project, Women Are Heroes, occupies nearly the entire facade of one of largest the favelas in Rio, where the gap between rich and poor is larger than anywhere else in the world. The photographs are emblazoned across the front walls on the hill, and capture the women of Rio who are victims of police violence in the favela.

Thesecond project in Spain, Los Surcos De La Ciudad, combines photographs of some of the oldest residents with the facades of the city's oldest buildings, melding the wrinkles and cracks of the subjects with their crumbling surroundings.

To check out the full collection of this astonishing work, visit JR's portfolio.